Farm-gate



(No Model.)

H. C. GUTERMUTH.

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TATES HENRY O. GUTERMUTH, OF NINE MILE, INDIANA.

FARM-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,750, dated July 6,1897. Application filed February 13, 1897. Serial NO- 623,232. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY C. GUTERMUTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nine Mile, in the county of Allen, inthe State ofIndiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Farm-Gatesand I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification Myinvention relates to improvements in farm-gates adapted for opening andclosing by means of the engagement of the wheel of a vehicle with thecrank-arms connected by operating-rods to the gate hinge-rod.

The object of my invention is to provide for a farn1-gate of ordinaryconstruction operating parts which can be made by any blacksmith andattached to the gate without the aid of a mechanic, and which aresimple, durable, and reliable, that will readily operate in opening andclosing the gate by the engagement of the vehicle-wheels with propercrank-arms and thus making the gate practically automatic in action. Iattain this end by the mechanism described in the followingspecification and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view of my irnproved gate hung ready for use,showing the operating parts, with the ground-rods connecting with thecrank-arms for the wagonwheels. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of thegate-post, the vertical frame-bar of the gate, and the adjustablesupporting-collar; and Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the gatepost andframe-bar of the gate, with the operating parts of the hingedconnection.

Similar reference-numerals indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

1 is the farm-gate as a whole, constructed in a well-known manner.

2 is the rear vertical frame-bar, and 3 the supporting gate-post.

13 is the latch-post, having a rabbetcd jamb for the gate to shutagainst, and 14 is a latch to secure the gate when closed.

Ordinary hinge staples having vertical eyes 7 and 7 are secured in thegate-post upon the adjacent gate side of the post at the top and bottom,and a like hinge is secured in the frame-bar 2 at its upper part, and atthe lower end is inserted a hinge-eye 8, having a screw threaded shankpassing into the frame-bar 2, and a screw-threaded collar 10, mountedupon the shank against the frame bar, as shown in Fig. 3.

A vertical hinge-rod 4 has an arm at the upper end bent at an angle withthe axis of the rod, with a vertical hook or pintle at its outer end,adapted to engage in the upper hinge-eye 7 of the gate post. The rod 4passes through the hinge-eye 8, and at its middle part is again bent atan angle toward the gate-post in parallel alinement with the upper arm,then bending vertically downward and passing through the lower hinge-eye7 is again bent at an angle, forming an arm parallel with the upper arm,and its outer end is bent upward to form a hook or pintle for the eyesof the connecting-rods 6 and 6, Fig. 1. The lower vertical part of therod 4 should be in parallel alinement, or nearly so, with the uppervertical pintle.

The gate is supported in position by the hinge 8, which is seated uponan adjustable collar 11, mounted upon the rod 4 and secured thereto bythe set-screw 12.

The shank of the hinge 8 passes into the frame-bar 2, as shown by thedotted lines in Fig. 3. By means of the collar 10 the shank can beadjusted so as to elevateor depress the latch end of the gate, it beingobvious that as the shank is drawn out of the framebar by turning thecollar upon it the front end of the gate will be elevated and therebyany sagging of the gate compensated for. The outer ends of the groundconnectingrods 6 and 6 are connected to the crank-arms 5 and 5, whichare of well-known construction, and are pivotally secured to groundsillsby staples and so arranged that when the wheel of a wagon engages withtheelevated arm of either crank it will turn by its connecting-rods thelower arm of the hingerod 4 and thus swing the gate.

' The latch-catch may be in any form that by elevating the front end ofthe gate will be detached, so as to free the gate from the fastening.

The mode of operating the gate is easily understood. When eithercrank-arm is depressed by a wagon-wheel driven against it, it will causethe connecting-rod to draw or push the lever or lower arm of thehinge-rod, according to which side of the gate is approached. As the rod4 turns upon its hinged connections the top of the gate, by thecorresponding motion of the upper arm, will be moved laterally andrearwardly toward the gate-post 3, and vby this movement the front endof the gate will be elevated out of its latch-fastening and at the sametime the frame-bar 2 will be canted over, so that the gate will swingopen. To close it, the wheel engages the crank-arm upon the other side,and the hinge-rod turning on its hinges by gravity swings into thelatch-post jamb.

As the gate is intended only to swing in one direction when opened, theconnectingrod 6' should be of sufficient length to allow the gate toclear the team when it opens.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in a swinging gate of the hinge-rod 4L constructed asdescribed, the hinge-eyes attached to the gate-post, the hinge-eyesattached to the gate-frame through which the said rod 4 passes, and thelower hinge-eye of the gate-frame having itsshank screw-threaded and adjustably mounted upon it the collar 10, a supporting-collar secured tosaid hinge-rod by an adjustable set-screw as shown, connecting-rodsattached to the outer end of the lower arm of the hinge-rod andextending upon either side of the gate at right angles with the axis ofthe gate when closed, with crank-arms attached to the outer ends of theconnecting-rods so arranged that when they are depressed by engagementwith the wheels of a vehicle, they will cause the gate to swing upon itshinges, the gate, the supporting gate-post, and means for fastening thegate when closed, all arranged sub stantially as described and shown.

2. The combination in a swinging gate of a vertical hinge-rod, having anarm bent at its upper end rearward from the gate, anda pintle at itsouter end adapted to engage in a hinge-eye secured to the gatepost, thesaid hinge-rod being also bent at its middle part in the same directionand in parallel alinement with the said bent upper arm, then bentvertically downward and passed through a hinge-eye secured to the lowerend of the gate-post, and then bent forwardly approximately in parallelalinement ending with the said upper arm, with an upwardly-bent hook orpintle for engagement with the eyes of connecting-rods, the hinge-eyesattached to the gate-post, the hinge-eyes secured to the rear frame-barof the gate, and the lower hinge having mounted upon it thescrewthreaded adjustable collar 10, a collar secured to the hinge-rod byan adjustable set-screw adapted to support the gate upon its lowerhinge, the rods connected by the hinge-rod at its lower end andcrank-arms at their outer ends, so arranged that when they are depressedby engagement with a wagon-wheel, they will cause the gate toautomatically open and close, all arranged substantially as describedand shown.

3. A hinge-rod for a swinging gate, comframe and gate-post respectivelyfor the purpose specified, the said upper section having arearwardly-projecting arm with a supporting-post hinge and the said rodhaving upon its lower end a forwardly-projecting arm in approximatealinement with the closed gate and adapted when oscillated to so elevatethe gate as to operate the same by gravity in combination with the gate,the gate-post, the hinges and connecting-rods, all arranged as describedand shown and for the purpose stated.

Dated and signed at- Fort Wayne, Indiana, this 6th day of February,1897.

HENRY O. GUTERMUTI-I. WVitnesses:

JAMES BAXTER, IDA L. Ross-Lnwm.

